My latest book, "Winning Thru Trial," 7 Winning Ways to Become Mighty, is the sequel to "The Sweetness of Trial." This NEW Podcast will be available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. Thoughts about this new book and what you, the reader, may gain from applying these "7 winning ways" to your life: While writing “Sweetness,” as I affectionately call it, I just knew there would need to be a sequel. I also felt from the beginning that I needed to be transparent in my failings so that the reader could feel that they are not alone in their walk of faith we call our Second Estate… and that FALLING DOES NOT MEAN FAILING. In my first book, “The Sweetness of Trial,” my goal was to provide a faith-based experience for the reader, to acquire a feeling that would neutralize the bitterness often felt when something/someone is lost or taken from us. It is a feeling I felt personally as I knelt by the side of my wife in prayer, pleading to God to heal our daughter from breast cancer, to help me recover from two years without substantial income, to save me from the depths of depression, to help cure my bitterness over losing still another business after many long years of sacrifice–and more. Yet, in those often desperate and humbling times of pleading came the soft and gentle embrace of a still, small voice, “Be still, and know that I am God.” There are likely few other times when we are privileged to “taste” the sweetness of Heavenly Father’s love purer than during trial. I started writing “Winning Thru Trial” before “Sweetness” was even finished because I felt the promptings early that my experiences with failure were to be shared, not hidden under a bushel, as awkward as it might be to admit failure instead of taking a stage somewhere claiming to have scaled Mt. Everest, blindfolded. But I have learned through time in the ring of life that it isn’t about how many times you get knocked down that defines you as a failure because, in my mind, the “only” way you fail in anything after being knocked to the floor, is when you stay down. I wanted to write a book as my testimony to the world that what defines you as a “winner” is getting back into the ring to go another round, no matter how many times you are knocked down, because each time you meet Goliath in whatever form he takes you gain experience. Like compound interest, experience today will help form perspective, insight, and wisdom to fight tomorrow again. This NEW book, "Winning Thru Trial," is about preparing you for when trial hits... because it will hit again, you know? This book is about teaching you 7 Winning Ways to build resilience within you to remain in control long enough to think clearly about what is the next step? What am I to learn? To help you know whom you can call upon to reach out and grab your hand before you hit bottom. In this book, you will learn a new definition of "Winning." You will learn ways to see trial as a teacher, a headmaster in the school of taming the natural man or woman within you. You will gain a new understanding of the word "Opportunity," and that it doesn't relate to taking advantage of "others," but rather learning to take advantage of your state of humility and trust in God to use trial in your refinement, to gain Christlike character that will open your eyes to see more clearly whom you may become (Opportunity). And you will learn ways to proactively change your negative attitude to become more self-loving, believing in yourself because HE believes in you. And I promise, you will begin to understand the "Sweetness" that can come after the trial of your faith, and you feel, maybe for the first time, the love of your Savior, Jesus Christ, whose arms shall be wrapped around you as you feel His healing power penetrate every inch of your body and soul. That "Sweetness" is real, and I promise you it will be there when you are ready to accept it... maybe even crave it.
